Method of building tankers for preventing oil spills in case of wreck

ABSTRACT

Building a tanker with double sides defining side tanks extending from a top deck to hull bottom and adjacent to and associated with cargo tanks. Making the side tanks from hull bottom to waterline equal in volume to respective volumes of associated cargo tanks above said waterline. Opening valves between respective side tanks and cargo tanks ruptured in a wreck and draining off into side tanks all oil above waterline in said ruptured cargo tanks faster than said oil can drain into sea by placing larger vents in the side tanks than in cargo tanks.

Garcia Sept. 3, 1974 [76] Inventor: Emilio C. Garcia, 441 Gravier St.,

New Orleans, La. 70130 [57] ABSTRACT Building a tanker with double sides defining side tanks [22] Filed July 1973 extending from a top deck to hull bottom and adjacent [21] Appl. No.: 382,991 to and associated with cargo tanks. Making the side tanks from hull bottom to waterline equal in volume [52] U S Cl 114/74 R 114/65 R to respective volumes of associated cargo tanks above [51] B63b 25/08 said waterline. Opening valves between respective side [58] Fie'ld 74 R 5 T tanks and cargo tanks ruptured in a wreck and draining off into side tanks all oil above waterline in said 5 6] References Cited ruptured cargo tanks faster than said oil can drain into sea by placing larger vents in the side tanks than in UNITED STATES PATENTS cargo tanks I 3,631,832 1/1972 Rodriguez 114/74 R 3,699,912 10/1972 Wilson 114 74 R 3 Clam, 1 Drawmg 34 30 /aa 32 as 11 \1: ll 29 A) 2s\ l6 1e- 2o- 2e METHOD OF BUILDING TANKERS FOR PREVENTING OIL SPILLS IN CASE OF WRECK Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James B. Lake, Jr.

METHOD OF BUILDING TANKERS FOR 1 PREVENTING OIL SPILLS IN CASE OF WRECK v The invention relates generally to tankers and more particularly to tankers having preventitive spill devices operative in case of wreck.

It is old in the art to build tankers with double bottoms and double sides for an additional cost of some 30 percent increase in the price of the tanker. In case of wreck or other marine catastrophe, it is expected that at least the inner bottoms and sides will remain undamaged or liquid leakage proof.

It is an object of the invention to build a tanker that will provide security from spills at an additional cost of only percent of the tankers cost.

Other objects and a more complete understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following discription, claims and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a tanker built and arragned in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, tanker 10 has center cargo tanks 12 and 14, extending longitudinally for any convenient distance, defined by liquid proof bulkheads l6, l8 and 20. Valved openings 22 and 24 are defined as illustrated in buldheads l6 and 20, which also define side tanks 26 and 28 with the hull of tanker l0. Tanks 26 and 28 are sized to equal, below the loaded waterline 29, the respective volumes 30 and 32 above said loaded waterline of tanks 12 and 14. Side. tanks 26 and 28 have air vents 34 and 36 larger than air vents 38 and 40 in cargo tanks 12 and 14 to ensure that the downflow of liquid from volumes 30 and 32 never exceed the 2 flow of liquid from tanks 12 and l4'into side tanks 26 and 28. Thus no liquid escapes from the ruptured hull bottom because the amount of downflow from volumes 30 and 32 is dependent on the relative, sizes of vents 38 and 40 in comparison with vents 34 and 36.

Of course if only side damage is suffered, spills are prevented by the double sides defining side tanks 26 and 28.

i What is claimed is:

1. Method of building tankers for preventing oil spills, said tankers having double sides, center cargo tanks, and a loaded waterline when said center cargo tanks are full, comprisingthe steps of: building side tanks in said double sides, each side tank respectively adjacent a cargo tank; making each said side tank of equal volume below said loaded waterline with its associated cargo tank above said loaded waterline; installing valved openings between each said center cargo tank and its associated side tank, and in a marine disaster opening them; and placing air vents in all said tanks for allowing in accordance with setting of said valved openings a flow of oil from respective center cargo tanks into respectively associated side tanks to thereby prevent a spill into surrounding waters.

2. Method of building tankers as described in claim 2 wherein said air vents have controllable opening but not complete closing-.- 

1. Method of building tankers for preventing oil spills, said tankers having double sides, center cargo tanks, and a loaded waterline when said center cargo tanks are full, comprising the steps of: building side tanks in said double sides, each side tank respectively adjacent a cargo tank; making each said side tank of equal volume below said loaded waterline with its associated cargo tank above said loaded waterline; installing valved openings between each said center cargo tank and its associated side tank, and in a marine disaster opening them; and placing air vents in all said tanks for allowing in accordance with setting of said valved openings a flow of oil from respective center cargo tanks into respectively associated side tanks to thereby prevent a spill into surrounding waters.
 2. Method of building tankers as described in claim 1 wherein installing larger air vents in said side tanks than in said center cargo tanks ensures filling side tanks rather than spilling into sea.
 3. Method of building tankers as described in claim 2 wherein said air vents have controllable opening But not complete closing. 